Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Really CNN?   [Mark Hemingway]

CJR:

Just now above the chyron “First 100 Days: Assessing the Swagga,” CNN’s T.J. Holmes (billed in the teaser to the segment as “our resident swagger expert”) assembled a panel of other presumed such experts and asked them:

What have you all seen? Maybe you haven’t said it publicly in some interview or something, but, you know, hanging out with your boys, having a beer somewhere. Did you see something that the president did and you were like, that’s a brother right there. Like he just has a bit of a swagger that is familiar to black men.

Evidence of “swagga” offered by the panel included: Obama being corrected by his wife during an interview and accepting it graciously; and, Obama hugging people.

My other favorite bit — CNN anchor Kyra Phillips teased the segment by saying, "If you look closely, you might notice the commander in chief has more swagger than Mick Jagger . . ." That's some fine journalism, right there. Between this and getting Susan Roesgen some more camera time, they'll be atop the ratings in no time.

UPDATE — A reader asks, "Wasn't it just yesterday that a swaggering president was a bad thing?" The answer to that is clearly yes:

White House Watch: Bush swagger could crimp domestic agenda

Obama rejects swagger of Bush for a sober analysis of economic crisis

Republican Convention Turns on the Macho Swagger, Misrepresents Bush Legacy

Bush's Iraq swagger a distant memory

A Bit Too Much Texas Swagger

Lame Duck Bush Has Swagger, Not Waddle: President Continues To Do As He Pleases

Swagger to the center: Bush is in danger of leaving the country in far worse shape than he found it. It's time for a new direction

How to Swagger and Bully Your Way to Disaster: Bush's Foreign Adventurism

. . . and etc. There's much more where that came from.

04/29 10:42 PMShare